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How to find a good Northampton website designer

You’ve probably scanned some of the many web designer directories looking for a local designer, but how can you differentiate between the good ones and the bad ones?

The problem with the web design industry is that anyone can proclaim to be a “web designer” irrespective of how good their skills are. How do you know if that designer is a 16 year old with a cracked copy of Dreamweaver, or a print/graphic design/media business with little regard to how the web actually works? (note: believe me, just because you go to an expensive agency does not guarantee they can code an accessible, usable site!).

Enter the BWDD

Best Web Designers and Developers - UK is a relatively new site that aims to sort the wheat out from the chaff. Unlike most other web design directories where anyone can just submit and be listed, the BWDD only accept designer listings after they meet a strict list of requirements:

• They manually check all designers sites for quality, not just how they look
• They don’t accept hobbyists or unproven freelancers, companies or partnerships
• Applicants must demonstrate adherence to W3C Standards
• Applicants must demonstrate adherence to accessibility, and functionality
• They contact previous customers for reference

While the field of web design doesn’t have any formal qualifications or accreditations the idea of BWDD I believe is a great step forward for customers, enabling them to find quality designers for their projects.

And lastly just to blow my own trumpet I’m please to say that the BWDD have accepted me into the approved list of web designers for the East Midlands!